The following relates generally to orthopedic neck braces and specifically to cervical collars with height adjustment features.
The human spine has seven vertebrae in the neck that are referred to as the cervical vertebrae. When a person suffers a traumatic head or neck injury, fractures of the cervical vertebrae, strains, sprains, and whiplash symptoms may injure a person's spinal cord and other sensitive structures in the neck. Cervical collars are a type of neck brace used to support and immobilize a patient's neck, to help realign the spinal cord, and to relieve pain. They do so by limiting the head from tilting through use of bracing supports positioned around the patient's neck and under the patient's chin. Cervical collars may be rigid, padded braces or relatively soft and flexible. Typically, more rigid braces are used when there is an elevated risk of damage to the spinal cord, and softer braces are used in applications such as therapeutic recovery, where the patient's neck is stronger or the vertebrae and muscles have mostly healed.
A paramount concern in the use of cervical collars is the comfort of the patient. A cervical collar provides sustained support to the appropriate sides of the head and neck while minimizing the hindrance to the patient's mobility and ability to perform common tasks such as speaking or eating. Since patients come in all shapes and sizes, it is difficult for collars to do both jobs effectively. Too often, a cervical collar that is comfortable is not effective in medical treatment or a collar that provides proper support is restrictive and claustrophobic for the patient.
Some cervical collars have been developed with mechanisms that allow the patient and medical personnel to adjust the shape and support of the collar in an effort to provide a custom fit for the wearer. While these apparatuses succeed in addressing some of the issues faced by patients and medical personnel, they are frequently expensive to produce and subsequently expensive for a patient in need. Additionally, the adjustment mechanisms can be complex and unreliable, leading to confusion of the patient in the use of the device or unwanted and undesirable movement of the brace and the patient's neck.